Dinner and an Auction

My Dad called this week and asked if we wanted some company for the weekend. I said that I thought we were pretty free, but I’d better check with Lauren. Lauren thought I was crazy… “You have a conference in Omaha all day Friday, then Middle School Fun Night all evening. Saturday morning I have a workshop and you’re going to that UNL auction. Saturday evening is your school’s Gala [Dinner/Auction fundraiser], and on Sunday your choir sings in Walton Nebraska.” I said, “oh yeah, I forgot.”

We tried to get the whole “Bad Movie Night” crowd to get a table at the auction, but we didn’t do so well. Curt, Pastor Tooman, Jared and I were the only ones who made it. Lauren, Curt and I each bid on a few items without much in the way of luck. Pastor Tooman made out better, but he couldn’t sit with us.

Curt bid on 6 Nights in Frisco County Colorado for 10 people. I really thought he was going to get it, but after a lot of arm raising the other guy ended up getting it for $1,600.00. Sorry Curt.

Lauren bid on a few items in the silent auction, but nothing came of it. We were there early this year, and she put down a few opening bids.

We usually help out with checking people in. I was Johnny on the spot with Governor Heineman’s tickets, and even bid on Dinner For Eight with the Governor and his wife at their place. I bid $600 and it sold for $2000, the most for any item at the auction this year. We also bid on tickets to see Wicked, but they shot out of our range pretty quickly.

I did, however, win a lock-in at Lincoln Lutheran for up to 12 students grades 5-8. Bradsaysthat they do that at their auction and it brings in good money. I asked our middle school teachers if they wanted to try that and they were up for it. It was in the “almost live” auction, which is where the priciest silent auctions go. There was only one bid and that was for $120.00. I figured it was worth at least $150.00 not to have to do it. I got it for $130.00. So? What do I do with it now?

At the end of the auction items they have a special project, where people can simply “bid” $1000, $500, $250 or $100 to go to the special project. This year we raised around $21,000 to go toward various computery things. So it looks like I’ll get to buy some new toys.

I’m thinking that maybe I could “reverse auction” it to the middle school teachers. I could hand select 12 of our students and ask how much it would be worth to them not to have to spend an evening with those kids.

If you look in the background, you’ll see a curtain on the wall to the left. In the middle of that curtain is a little triangular “banner”. The banner is pointing right at the governor. It’s weird, because it will do that no matter where you are in the room.